Christmas-time in Corona was a strange thing for the royal family, at least it had been for the past five years. On the exterior, it would seem everything was normal; the throne room and halls were all decorated with wreaths of emerald grass and ruby red garlands, in nearly every sitting room there was at least one small Christmas tree to be had, decorated with swirly red and white peppermint sticks and ornaments of red and gold, the national colors of Corona.

The halls smelled of gingerbread nearly the whole month of December as the kitchen prepared swarms of gingerbread men to pass out amongst the villagers, with the sweet aroma of fruity tarts and sugary confections swirling with it, creating a rich aroma of peppermint, gingerbread, and baked apples.

It seemed to put a special step in the staff of the palace, a glint of joy in their eyes and smiles almost impossible to wash away as they prepared themselves for the on-coming holiday. All in all, it would seem the palace was teeming with warmth and light for the approaching date of December 25th. And for the most part it was.

If you were to look closer, however, you would see the forced smiles of two particular people: King Frederic and Queen Arianna. The holidays were supposed to be a time to come together with loved ones and celebrate; spending chilly nights with family with warm, frothy drinks, laughing and joking as the hours slipped away and the cups were emptied. It was supposed to be the most magical time of the year.

But for them, that magic had been sealed away years ago. It was their fifth Christmas without their Rapunzel, the baby girl they wished and prayed to return for every day, but especially around the holidays as her absence became more and more apparent to them. Any time a little girl or boy came bustling through the snow with their parents, light and love and laughter in their voices and eyes, they would be reminded how that should be them – they should have gotten the chance to spend Christmas with their daughter.

If it were up to Frederic, Christmas would be packed up. Something not to bother with since he saw no point in celebrating if his whole family couldn't be there. The fact of the matter was that it was not up to him, for a myriad of reasons. The first being that it was technically a religious holiday for a religion both he and Arianna both actively claimed to believe in, so they couldn't just outright ignore the day set aside to celebrate it. So, Frederic did at least participate in the spiritual aspects of the day – attending church and prayer – but he did not enjoy the more…. pomp and circumstance elements of the holiday.

The decorations and the smells all the things that made the castle more holiday like were pretty much the bane of his existence during this time. He hated to look at them, hated to even him them hanging around where it was near impossible to avoid them, hated to be unable to escape that ever present smell of holiday treats, hated the way that no matter what he tried he couldn't get Arianna to stop putting up the decorations and asking for more cookies and just refusing to let that part of Christmas die.

Arianna couldn't help it, not really. The first year it had been out of habit, it was what they always did at Christmas, so why were they to stop? She had planned it all that year with barely even realizing it, the ideas and themes for the decorations slipping onto the paper and into the halls with no thought at all. It had hurt after everything had been put up and she realized what she had done and how Rapunzel couldn't see it because she was God knows where with a woman that may not even bother to give Rapunzel the magical first Christmas she deserved, but in the moments where she planned it all, where she had strung popcorn and put up trees and tied ribbons on the banisters she had forgotten for a few moments.

So, yes, she put up the decorations and helped make cookies even if Frederic hated it. It helped her forget for a little bit that she was a mother with no daughter, and if took getting lost in yards of ribbon and arranging glass ornaments then she didn't care. If that was what it took, then that was what it took.

Thus, began the Christmas routine for the royal family of Corona: Frederic locked away somewhere, most likely his study, and Arianna hidden in a sitting room somewhere as she made sure the decorations were just right. None of the staff or guards dared question it, not quite sure how to broach the subject of dealing with the aftermath of a child's disappearance, so the routine went unchecked for four long Christmas seasons.

Until, that is, came a little boy named Varian.

Varian snuggled his fluffy cat toy Mitten close to his chest, the pink ribbon tied around the kitten's neck ticking his nose as it stuck up towards his face. He began playing the ribbon to get it out of his face, flicking the soft and shiny fabric between his fingers. He gave a small laugh at the movement, eyes lit up with wonder at the fact that he was moving the ribbon back and forth between his fingers.

Arianna chuckled once under her breath at her spot next to the one-year-old boy, pulling the next kernel of popcorn onto the needle. It was only five 'o'clock, but already dark outside and very cold, so Arianna had excused Varian's governess earlier than normal so that she could get home before it was too dangerous. Snow was rare in Corona, but frigid wind wasn't, so Arianna was one to take precautions.

Besides, it gave her a little more time with Varian than normal, so it was automatically a win for her.

The fire of the sitting room was crackling softly, casting the painted red room in an orangey glow. It was empty of people save Arianna and Varian, making the only sounds the fire and Varian's continued awed sounds at the pink ribbon. A mostly bare Christmas tree sat in the corner, only a few red and gold ornaments on its branches as it waited for the addition of Arianna's popcorn garland.

"Are you having fun playing with Mitten, bluebird?" Arianna asked. Varian looked up from the ribbon at the sound of her voice, letting the edges of the ribbon slip out of his finger and pulling the stuffed toy's head to rest under his chin. Varian smiled at her, showing off his small collection of four mismatched baby teeth. Arianna hoped the rest of his teeth grew in soon – he had thrown just terrible fits over the pain those four had caused growing in, especially since nothing seemed to work to ease it, so she just hoped they grew in quickly for the benefit of all.

"Ye'h! Ye'h!" Varian said, voice slightly edging up into a squeal. Varian lifted Mitten up towards her now, smiling wide and eyes crinkling. "Mama? M'tty?"

Arianna shook her head and pushed the stuffed animal back towards him.

"I'm sorry bluebird, but I can't play with Mitten right now," Arianna said. "Maybe in a bit."

Varian's face falls just a little as be brought Mitten back to his chest, but the sadness quickly disappeared from his face as his eyes landed on the string of popcorn in her lap and the bowl of it on her other side. His lip just out as his head turns on it's side, and Arianna can't help but find it comical, the face he makes as he tries to figure out what exactly it is, she's holding.

Varian had seen popcorn before, but Arianna had never let him eat, not quite trusting his four teeth to do a good enough job to make sure he didn't choke on the popped kernels. Without having ever been officially introduced to it, Arianna could see the wheels turning in Varian's head as he tried to come up with a word for it.

After a moment, he eventually decided he would not be able to come up with a sufficient name for it apparently, as he looked up to Arianna with a confused and helpless expression. Arianna rolled her eyes and held up the string of popcorn so that he could see it better.

"This is popcorn sweetie," Arianna explained. Varian's eyes widened even more with the revelation, reaching out a small, stubby hand to touch it. "Most of the time people eat it, but around Christmas time people will try to hang it up as decoration. Do you understand bluebird?"

Varian blinked once.

"Apparently, you do not." Arianna sighed once and looked over at the Christmas tree. She gently took his small hand, placing his palm face up in hers, something he watched with a careful and measured response for a one-year-old, keeping one arm tightly locked around Mitten. Arianna reached down to put a single popped kernel in his open palm.

"Do not put this in your mouth," Arianna said. She did not want to risk him chocking on it and knew without a warning, Varian would try to swallow it whole.

"This is popcorn," Arianna said, careful to enunciate the word carefully. "Most of the time people eat it, but we're going to put it on the Christmas tree."

"Twee?" Varian asked. Arianna nodded and directed his attention over to the pine tree in the corner.

"Yes, bluebird, the tree," Arianna said. "That's a special kind of tree, a Christmas tree."

"Ch-Chi-Ch'st—"

Arianna's eyes widened. Was Varian trying to say Christmas?

"It's okay bluebird," Arianna cheered on quietly. "You can say it. Christmas."

"Ch-Ch'stm-Ch's—"

"You almost got it, bluebird," Arianna said.

"Ch's—Ch'stmas?"

"That's great bluebird!" Arianna said. Well, it was close enough for someone with four teeth.

Varian's eyes lit up at the praise and a laugh began bubbling up from his throat.

"Ch'stmas! Ch'stmas!" he said, giggling between words, excited to know it. "Ch'stmas!" His eyes landed on the Christmas tree and his smile only grew more, an almost kind of sparkle in his few little teeth.

"Ch'stmas!" he said again. Arianna smiled and put the string of popcorn to her side, reaching forward to place Varian in her lap.

"That's right Varian," Arianna said, "that's a Christmas tree."

"Ch'stmas!" Varian kept babbling off. Arianna chuckled again and just hugged Varian to her chest, tucking his head under her chin and letting him look at the tree while he rattled off the name for a while. Arianna supposed it could be a teachable moment to tell him about why Christmas was, but she was also pretty sure the story of the Virgin Mary and Jesus might go over his head at such a young age. So, for now, she just let him rattle off about learning the word for the moment.

It was a soft quiet moment, and Arianna let it wash over them without complaint. She hadn't gotten to spend much alone time with her son lately, being busy preparing the castle for Christmas and the various other tasks for the holiday, while also helping run an entire country. That left Varian alone with his governess or other palace staff more often than she would have liked, especially around the holidays. It was supposed to be a time for family and fun and –

Family.

And there it came, the reminder. The inescapable truth that no Christmas decoration or tree could really truly make her forget. It would work in the moment but then it would come rushing back all over again, leaving a tight pang in her heart and a watery, blurry tint to her vision.

That one truth that never went away.

Rapunzel was gone.

There was no Christmas to be had with her. No explaining to her what a Christmas tree was or telling her about stringing popcorn for decoration. No child to hug close by the fire on winter nights. Rapunzel had never gotten the kind of Christmas Arianna wanted her to have, never got to celebrate this time of the year with a family who loved her. Rapunzel never got to know the smell of gingerbread and peppermint wafting through the palace, and she'd never gotten just a taste of a holiday here.

There was nothing, just memories of a jade-eyed little girl with a bubbly laugh that had only spent one day here. No holidays or birthdays or any days really. All Arianna had of Rapunzel was a broken memory of being the mother of a baby girl, but never getting to be one.

"Mama?" Varian's voice jutted into her thoughts.

Arianna blinked rapidly, becoming acutely aware that she was crying, and looked down into the face of Varian. His face was turned to look up at her, smile gone and now transformed into a concerned expression. Mitten was pulled away from him, only loosely held in his right hand by a single paw.

"Mama sad," Varian said. Arianna felt her heart clench. She tried so hard to not lose it in front of Varian, so, so hard. He was so young, he couldn't possibly know why she was sad or even begin to understand it. His best friend was a stuffed cat toy and he only knew a dozen or so words, understanding only a few more. There was no way she could ever make him understand at this age, and she hated falling apart in front of him because he deserved so much more than someone who can just fall apart on a whim like this.

Arianna cleared her throat and reached to wipe away her tears.

"No, no, I'm fine –"

Varian reached up with his free hand, wiping away her tear with his fist in an attempt to clear it away.

"Mama no sad," Varian said. "Mama no sad."

Arianna could not help the one laugh that sprang up from her from the action. His voice was soft and pleading, and she so desperately didn't want to be sad anymore, but it wasn't something that could just easily be washed away. This was a type of pain and hurt that a plea or look couldn't take away. It was the kind that could swallow you whole and never think twice and she appreciated Varian wanting her to feel better and he normally helped her do so.

But at Christmas….it was just hard. So hard.

He frowned deeper at her and held Mitten out for her to take.

"Mitten happy," Varian said. Arianna smiled and took the soft plush toy from him with a soft thank you. Arianna was not sure how much happiness having the stuffed cat toy would make her, but she supposed it made sense to Varian. Mitten made him happy, so it would stand to reason that her having it would make her happy too.

"Mama happy?" Varian said, frown still pulling at him.

"Mama happy," Arianna said, heart clenching at the lie. But she couldn't lie to him – she couldn't tell him why and she had no right to make him feel bad. Arianna knew if she acted sad much longer than Varian would think it was his fault and then he would start crying and it was his first Christmas and he had been so proud of himself for learning the word and –

His first Christmas.

Well, technically it wasn't his first Christmas. It was January when Varian had been dropped at their door by Quirin, and Varian was a few months old at the time, so he had lived through a Christmas before. But this – this was his first one of them, his first with her.

Arianna had no way of knowing what Varian's first Christmas was like. Quirin's note had said they had been hiding and Maria was dead by then, so it was probably a far cry from the holiday here in the Corona castle. No, it had probably been holed up somewhere in the cold, Quirin most likely hoping the day would end quickly so he didn't have to think that this was Varian's first holiday season.

Arianna had no way of knowing of her version of that Christmas was true, after all Quirin was gone (dead, she reminded herself, even almost a year later) and Varian had been at most a month old. No memories of that day could ever be told to her.

But-but this was his first Christmas with her. The first one he could spend with a mother who loved him very much. Arianna had no doubt that Maria had loved Varian, even if the time Maria had had with him had probably been countable by minutes, but she too had never gotten to celebrate any type of holiday with her child. Though it had been for different reasons, her and Arianna both never got to see that joy of this particular holiday season overtake their child.

This time – this holiday, however, she had that. She had that chance to spread joy to her child, because Varian was her son now too damn it. It was her and Quirin and Maria and Frederic too, four parents for a child that only got to experience two. But Quirin and Maria weren't here anymore, they wouldn't ever get to see that, just like she hadn't yet got to see Rapunzel like that.

(Arianna refused to believe that she would never get to see that – an unshakable part of her believed that Rapunzel would return.)

Something warm exploded in her chest, something bright and colorful and full of joy so grand that it made her smile. It was a real, true, honest smile, not the fake and watery one she had tried to pass off moments ago. It was a happy warmth and didn't erase her sadness or pain, and it didn't try to. It simply took the edge off, made the sharper edges dull as the realization hit her.

This was her first Christmas where her child was with her, and though it wasn't Rapunzel, it was still her child and she would give him the best Christmas she could.

Her smile, it seemed, was infectious because Varian's concerned frown was blown away in favor of his normal toothless smile.

"Mama happy?" Varian asked again. Arianna laughed and wiped away the final remnant of her tears.

"Mama happy," she said. She placed a soft kiss to his cheek before quickly scooping him up in her arms and standing, returning Mitten to him as they swiftly walked out of the room, leaving the popcorn far behind them on the couch.

"Come on bluebird," she said. Her tone was light and infectious, a real joy seeping through. "I've got a surprise for you."

"S'prise?"

"Yes, my little bluebird," Arianna said, "a surprise."

Arianna figured it was time for Varian to try a candy cane.

Frederic would admit that the courtyard was quite extraordinary this year. In the center of the cobbles was a tall Christmas tree done up in the Corona colors, the red and gold banners weaving around the baubles with almost artistic precision. Even if Frederic was not one for such outlandish decorations, this year Arianna had really outdone herself.

Frederic watched off to the side as some of the villagers filed in; it was a Christmas tradition here in Corona that on Christmas Eve a party for all of Corona would be held in the palace courtyard. As a young boy he had found it most exciting, with all the new people and other kids to play with for hours on end. When he came back from the Protectors, it had been jarring but still pleasant, a time to enjoy himself and talk amongst his people, even if he was still getting used to being around people not trying to actively kill him.

And now? He wouldn't say he hated it, but he most definitely severely disliked it. It was filled with happy and loving families that were laughing and having fun. That was but a desperate wish for him, something he never got.

So, after the customary speech him and Arianna were supposed to give – being the technical hosts on behalf of all of Corona – he usually just kept to himself before slinking back off somewhere else perhaps far earlier than he should. He was just waiting for Arianna to arrive, so he could speak and then be done with this whole affair.

He watched idly as a family came by, a pair of identical twin girls pulling their grinning parents over to the center Christmas tree. Frederic looked away from them at down at his feet, feeling the familiar seed of envy planting in his stomach.

How come other families got that? How come other families didn't have to have their happiness stolen by others? How come it was him that had to have his child stolen? Those were questions that Frederic couldn't get an answer too no matter how much he thought and cried and prayed over them, but no answer would ever reveal itself to him.

"Dada!"

A pressure hitched itself onto his leg and he looked to see Varian hugging his leg, a bright smile painting his face. He seemed to be bundled in at least two coats, a hat pulled over his head to cover his ears.

"Dada!" Varian said again, cuddling his cheek into Frederic's knee.

"Oh, uh, hello Varian," Frederic said.

"Varian!" Arianna arrived at their side, an annoyed frown on her face and a flush. "Don't run off like that! You could have gotten lost!"

Varian frowned and let go of Frederic's leg, biting his thumb nervously.

"Sorry Mama," Varian said softly. Arianna sighed and reached down to pick up Varian, settling him on her hip.

"It's okay, I know you were just excited," Arianna said. "Just don't do it again, okay bluebird?"

Varian nodded in understanding before looking up at the large Christmas tree and giving an awed gasp. He had never seen it before most likely, at least not this close. Arianna had quickly tried to keep Varian out of the cold for as much as possible, so his time outside had been limited once winter had descended upon Corona. He hadn't even been allowed to attend the Winter Solstice celebration at the start of the week due to the lateness of the event and the cold weather.

"Mama! Ch'stmas!" Varian pointed at the tree with a proud laugh, happy to know the word.

Frederic rose a brow. When had Varian learned how to say Christmas? Or associate it with the tree? This question was pushed out of his head by Varian speaking again.

"Dada!" Varian's head whipped around to him, making sure that he was looking at the tree. "Dada! Ch'stmas!"

"Yes, Varian, I see the tree," Frederic said. Varian, pleased with the knowledge that Frederic was aware of the tree, turned his attention back towards the tree. Arianna, however, did not turn towards the tree, but kept her gaze on Frederic, her eyes narrowed just a little and with a ghost of a frown. This stare happened for several moments and Frederic could feel the scrutiny under the gaze, Arianna was not happy with something he had said, and he had feeling it was not about to be let go anytime soon.

Eventually, she had to look away, and turned back towards Varian.

"Varian?" Arianna said. "How would you like a candy cane?"

Varian's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands together in excitement. Frederic felt another surprise. Had Varian had a candy cane before? Since when was he old enough to have one?

"That's a lot of sugar," Frederic said. Arianna's head whipped around to face him, and the narrowed eyes were back, but she didn't drop the smile.

"It's Christmas," Arianna said simply. Then her head turned again, leaving whatever argument that may have caused beyond.

"Nigel?" Arianna called out to the nearby man, who quickly came to attention at the call. Nigel rushed over, an air of worry about him, as always.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Nigel asked. "Is something the matter?"

"No, no, nothing is wrong," Arianna said. "I was just wondering if you could take Varian to get a candy cane? I have something I need to discuss with the king."

Nigel gave Varian an uneasy look but agreed none the less, quickly taking Varian into his arms.

"'Igel!" Varian shouted, hugging the skinny man around the neck. The greeting wasn't well received, only getting a smile out of Nigel, but that appeared to be enough for Varian who just kept grinning like it was the only expression he could ever make.

"I'll be with you in just a moment, if you'll just take him to the candy," Arianna said. Nigel nodded once and then left, Varian waving over his shoulder to them.

"Bye Mama! Bye Dada!"

Arianna just smiled and waved until Varian and Nigel disappeared into the crowd before dropping her smile and rounding on him, hands on her hips stubbornly.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked. Frederic blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"What is wrong with you?" Arianna said. "It's Christmas, he can have a little more sugar than usual."

"Is that what this is about? Arianna, I was just making a statement, I never said he couldn't have one."

"This isn't about a candy cane!" Arianna said, voice rising with anger. This attracted the stares of some of the closer villagers, something Arianna seemed to catch onto because she schooled herself down to a calmer tone. She cleared her throat and gave him a hard glare.

"This is about you…. just being…. a…ugh…. buzzkill!"

"A buzzkill?"

"Yes, a buzzkill!" Arianna said. "All Varian wanted to do was show you a tree and you had to be all boring and like 'I know what it is'."

"Well, I did know what it was."

"That's not the point!" she hissed. "Varian wanted to show you he knew what a Christmas tree was – you couldn't have been a least bit excited? At least pretended to be?"

Arianna sighed again and ran a hand through her hair.

"I know I'm making a big deal out of nothing and I know the holidays are hard for you – they're hard for me too." Arianna gave a shaky breath in the cold. "But this is the first one we get to share it with someone else. It's not the way we always imagined, but it's the way it is. So, you can either start at least pretending to be happy or you can just keep doing what your doing. I don't care. Just – just don't. For once, I'm going to try and have a happy Christmas. You can be a part of it, or you can not be. It's up to you."

And then she was gone too, slipping amongst the throngs of people, leaving him in a stunned silence.

What-what had he done to provoke that? All he had done was say two things to Varian and then she was sending the boy off to blow up in Frederic's face.

Frederic wasn't exactly the most warm or welcoming, he would give her that, but it wasn't like he was going out of his way to be overtly malicious or mean to Varian or anyone else really. He just didn't like the holidays all that much and he wasn't going to put up a pretense about it, because once it was pulled back it would make the days more torturous.

Acting like everything was fine when it wasn't was not going to make him feel better, so he wasn't going to make himself act a certain way if it wasn't how he felt. Part of being king meant he had to lie or act a certain way to keep a manner of collective calm and keep peace, but this, this was the one thing that he let himself have with no mask to cover it.

He was allowed to be sad and upset that his daughter was gone, and he was not going to simply pretend he wasn't feeling that way.

So, with that thought in mind, Frederic went off to go find Arianna, so he could say the stupid speech and be done with the whole thing.

(And if when he got there a small grin appeared at Varian trying to bite a candy cane with his four teeth, he wasn't going to hide that either, even if it put a wriggling feeling in him that maybe he was wrong.)

Christmas dawned bright and beautiful, the sun rising over a thin blanket of snow that arrived overnight. Arianna smiled when she saw the white, powdery substance outside. It had been a mild winter, as it almost always was in Corona, but Arianna had hoped that Varian's first Christmas here could be a white one.

Arianna silently made her way towards Varian room, where she knew he would be waking very soon. Varian was a very particular baby when it came to sleep; he nearly always woke up around seven in the morning, regardless of what time they finally managed to wrestle him down for sleep the night before.

The castle was quieter than normal this morning, as Arianna had expected, the only sounds she could hear was the patter of her shoes against the floor. All except essential staff had been excused for the day, and those that were here had their hours greatly reduced to be with their families. Arianna was sure only a dozen or so servants were here as opposed to the usual hundreds, which made the usual hustle and bustle of the castle seem to disappear completely.

She found herself at Varian's door with no interruptions, and she softly pushed the door open, so she didn't wake him suddenly. Sure enough, he was still asleep in his crib, Mitten next to him with a loose hold across the stuffed toy's body.

Arianna carefully made her way to Varian's crib in the corner, careful not to run into any of the tables or chests. Varian's room had been quickly been together, at least in comparison to Rapunzel's had been. Rapunzel's had been planned from the moment Arianna had found out she was pregnant, while Varian had had his room quickly renovated and decorated in just under two months. Arianna had been proud of the staff that had put it together so quickly – it had been a little unsettling having Varian in Rapunzel's room even though nowhere else in the palace could accommodate a baby, so having Varian moved into his own nursery had made the transition to suddenly having a baby around easier.

Arianna peeked over the edge of the crib for a silent moment to watch Varian sleep. He always looked so innocent and helpless when he slept, reminding her every time of the baby she hadn't quite adopted a year ago. Had it really been less than a year? It felt like so much longer. Not in a bad way, but, still, it was unfathomable to her that Varian had been her son for so little a time.

Eventually the moment had to break, the quietness shattering with a gentle snore and the rustle of sheets as Varian rolled over. His blue eyes began to peak open as he yawned again, Mitten falling out of his arms completely next to him in the crib.

"Good morning Varian," she gently coed. Varian yawned again but smiled up at her tiredly.

"Mama?"

"Yes, bluebird, it's me, Mama," Arianna said. She scoped him up from inside the crib, snugly fitting him onto her hip and giving him a quick kiss to his cheek.

"It's Christmas, Varian!"

"Ch'stmas?" Varian began looking around wildly, searching for a decorated tree in the nursery. Arianna shook her head with a laugh, bouncing Varian on her hip.

"No Varian, there isn't a tree in here," Arianna said. Varian's face fell just a little bit – he really did like Christmas trees a lot. "Christmas is a holiday too, and we're going to celebrate it!"

Varian seemed confused by this, jutting out his bottom list in a nervous pout. Arianna just smiled and reached to grab Mitten too, knowing that if the stuffed toy was left behind than Varian would erupt into a crying fit when he remembered he didn't have it.

She quickly swept them out of the room and down the hall to one of the sitting rooms, where she had put the gifts to Varian. She had contemplated going for one of the larger trees like in the ballroom or throne room, but in the end decided something more private might be better, given that it was a special, first Christmas after all.

Of course, at the time, she had thought it would be a three-person Christmas, but Frederic hadn't yet to make an appearance today, already awake and gone by time Arianna woke up to fetch Varian.

But that was unimportant. He could show up if he wanted to.

The sitting room already was warm with a fire by time Arianna and Varian arrived, and Arianna made a mental note to personally thank the staff that stayed on Christmas, as Arianna had been dreading starting a fire on her own.

Varian caught a glimpse of the tree and his eyes just lit up at the sight, madly pointing at it.

"Ch'stmas! Ch'stmas!" he shouted. Arianna nodded and set him gently down in front of the tree, where underneath sat a small collection of wrapped presents that Varian had yet to take notice of.

"Yes, honey, it's our Christmas tree," Arianna said. She moved to sit next to him on the floor, quickly gathering her skirt around her. She pointed down to the presents, which forced the red and green and gold wrapped items to Varian's attention.

"These are Christmas presents," Arianna said. Arianna picked one up and put it into Varian's lap, who looked down at the wrapped box with a bit of curiosity and wonder. "They're for you."

"Me present?" Varian asked, looking up at her. He toyed with the silver ribbon for a moment, Mitten forgotten on the ground next to him.

"Yes, it's a Varian present."

Varian smiled widely, a gratefulness in it that communicated gratitude despite that he couldn't say thank you yet. Arianna decided that probably should be the next thing they teach him to say. Arianna had to reach down and undo the ribbon, but once that was gone, Varian was off to the races, ripping off the shining gold paper with infectious excitement.

He let out a small gasp when he saw what it was revealed to be – a very colorful picture book about plants. Within seconds he was flipping through the pages with intensity, pointing out to her all the pretty pictures and colors that caught his eye. Arianna's own eyes lit up with wonder at the excitement Varian was exhibiting.

Soon enough, Varian was descending on all the gifts, pulling them into a steady routine for the next half hour – Arianna would pull away the ribbon, Varian would unwrap the present, and then show it to Arianna with excited baubles and giggles as he took in what all of them were. And Arianna just went along with it, because seeing that smile on Varian's face was worth a thousand presents.

Eventually the presents ran out, but that was no matter to Varian as he just quickly moved to figuring the smaller facets of each thing that he hadn't seen when he first unwrapped them. In the end, all his presents amounted to five picture books, two stuffed animals (one a pretty black cat that Varian had quickly dubbed 'Cassie', most likely after the Captain's daughter Cassandra), a finger painting set, and a rather nice matching doll set with two ballerinas.

Arianna watched him play for a little bit, sometimes taking toys and books when handed them and giving occasional comments when prompted by Varian but was otherwise content to just remain here for a bit. After a little bit, she felt a familiar pang that someone was missing, that it should two kids in front of her not just one, but she pushed that away for the moment.

This was a happy moment, and she was going to keep that way. She could be sad later, but for now, she wouldn't let herself be sad.

Their quiet but content moment is cut short by a clearing of the throat. Arianna is unsurprised to see Frederic in the doorway, dressed in clothes one would wear to church, his face looking stoic but nervous at the same time.

"Arianna," Frederic said simply.

"Frederic."

The tone is icy. Arianna's anger from last night might have been a bit more than what it should have been, but it was still a justifiable one. His thoughts about Christmas aside, this holiday was one for family and this man had a son now and he needed to start acting like it.

"Dada!" Varian's tone is a complete departure from their tones, one filled with such joy at Frederic's appearance. He stood and ran, or rather, quickly waddled to Frederic and held up the stuffed cat toy now christened Cassie for Frederic to take. "Dada! Cassie!"

"I see Varian," Frederic said, but made no motion to take the stuffed cat from the boy. Varian blinked up at him and continued to hold the cat toy, adamant that Frederic would take Cassie so that he would play with the toy. The moment went on for a bit longer, Varian just staring up at him with the toy, just long enough for it to become longer.

Arianna cleared her throat. "Fred."

The take the damn cat toy was implied, but he seemed to get the message anyway because Frederic finally reached down to take the toy from Varian's grasp.

"Thank you, Varian," Frederic said, very aware of Arianna's gaze on him. Varian smiled wide again and raced back over to his collection of new presents to play with them again, deciding next on one of the picture books and beginning to flip through it.

Frederic began a nervous walk over to them, Cassie clutched under his arm.

"I saw where you and Varian weren't at the morning service," Frederic said. Arianna pursed her lips.

"I was going to take him to the evening one," Arianna said. "That way he could open presents."

Frederic gave a slight hum. It wasn't disapproval, but it wasn't support of her decision either.

"Dada! Book!"

Varian held up the picture book, the second one he opened, the one about ducks, and turned to Frederic again. The meaning was clear, Varian wanted Frederic to read him the story. Frederic was Varian's favorite to hear stories from, even if Varian didn't get it all that often, and Arianna could see why. Frederic had the kind of voice that could make the most boring thing sound interesting, it was a booming voice when it needed to be but soft at other times. It was the prefect voice for storytelling.

"Well?" Arianna said. "Aren't you going to read?"

Frederic gave a nervous laugh but took the book from Varian and sat the boy next to him. It seemed that Frederic wasn't going to try and get out of reading to Varian today, as he so usually did. Arianna watched as Frederic opened the book, Varian leaning against Frederic's side to get a better look. At first, the older man flinched at the contact before softening as he began the opening of the story.

"Once there was a duck named Mister Germany….," Frederic began, and slowly the story began in that booming voice of his. Arianna simply watched the two of them, slowly noting as Frederic's stand became less stiff the farther they got in the story, the hand not keeping the book open slowly and unconsciously beginning to wrap around Varian protectively.

By time the book ended, Varian's had stars in his eyes and Frederic looked slightly less aggravated than before. Frederic gave a mild complaint that one book was enough when Varian started with asking for the one about flowers before starting after a frown from Varian.

When it came time to read the third book, Frederic made no complaint.

And for every day and Christmas after, Frederic made no complaint to read to his son. Especially on Christmas.

Because Christmas was a day for family.

"For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) All glory be to God, and we thank Him for sending his only son to die for our sins.

A/N:
K so, I should not have been writing this but I'm coming down off of heavy stress and two research papers that kicked my butt and this really helped me get back in a fiction writing mood.

What did y'all think? I loved baby Varian so much and I was so glad to get to write for him again! I had plans for a young Cass, but I could never fit her in. I wanted to do something with Raps, but it never came to be.

I hope y'all are having a great holiday season! Thanks for taking the time to read and I hope y'all have a blessed day!
- Princess Chess

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